DestinationsSeptember 26, 2026

Stockholm by boat: the city from the water

Stockholm is one of the few capitals where you can drive your own boat straight through the centre. From Saltsjön you see Gamla stan (the old town), Skeppsholmen and Djurgården from the side they were built to face. In one afternoon you can glide through the Djurgården canal, have lunch on Fjäderholmarna or take the Hammarby lock up to Lake Mälaren. Trips are short and sheltered, but traffic is heavy and speed limits many, so plan ahead.

Where can you rent a boat in Stockholm?

On Ship O'Hoi, private owners rent out their own boats, usually by the day. To start right in town, you can rent a boat in Stockholm; closest to Fjäderholmarna and the south shore of Saltsjön are boats for rent in Nacka, and for a trip around Lidingö look at boats on Lidingö. Further south there are also boats in Saltsjöbaden, a good base if you want to combine the city with the archipelago. Each owner sets their own requirements for experience or certificates, and some owners can come along as skipper.

5 boat trips in Stockholm

The distances below are approximate and estimated from the chart. Always use a chart or chart app – shallows, bridges and speed limits come thick and fast.

Strömmen, Skeppsholmen and Gamla stan

Approx. 3–4 nm round trip from Wasahamnen on Djurgården. Allow an hour at a gentle pace. You pass Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen and see the Royal Palace and Skeppsbron from the water, with Södermalm across the bay. Turn into Nybroviken, where 7 knots applies. Sightseeing boats and archipelago ferries dock all along these quays, so keep a lookout and drive predictably. Note that Strömmen is currently a dead end: the lock at Slussen is closed during reconstruction, so turn round and go back the same way.

Tip: go early or in the evening, when traffic is calmer.

Around Djurgården via the Djurgården canal

Approx. 5–6 nm from Wasahamnen and back. Allow 1–1.5 hours, since much of the way is 5 or 7 knots. Head into Ladugårdslandsviken along Strandvägen, under Djurgårdsbron and on through Djurgårdsbrunnsviken to the canal (Djurgårdsbrunnskanalen). Rosendal Palace lies along Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, and all of Djurgården is part of the Royal National City Park. The canal itself opened in 1834 and is narrow and green. On the far side you come out into Lilla Värtan; then round Blockhusudden and its lighthouse and return along Djurgården's south shore past Waldemarsudde and Gröna Lund.

Tip: 5 knots applies in the canal and its extension. Check the clearance under the canal bridges on the chart before you enter with a sailing boat or a boat with a tall superstructure.

Fjäderholmarna and Nacka strand

Approx. 3 nm from Wasahamnen to Fjäderholmarna, around 20–30 minutes. Fjäderholmarna is the nearest archipelago island, managed by the Royal Djurgården Administration, with restaurants, craft workshops and exhibitions in season. It has a gästhamn (guest harbour, where visiting boats pay to moor) and a fuel station with a harbour office. In the sound between Stora Fjäderholmen and Ängsholmen/Libertus the limit is 5 knots, and three ferry companies serve the island, so expect ferries in the harbour. On the way back you can follow the south shore of Saltsjön past Nacka strand, approx. 0.5–1 nm from Fjäderholmarna, looking across to Djurgården.

Tip: Nacka strand has a busy commuter ferry pier – give the commuter boats room. For more islands further out, read the most beautiful islands in the Stockholm archipelago.

Hammarby sjö and on to Lake Mälaren

Approx. 5 nm from Wasahamnen to Liljeholmsbron, 1–1.5 hours including the lock and bridges. Pass Stadsgården, enter the Danvik canal (Danvikskanalen), go under Danviksbron and out onto Hammarby sjö with Hammarby sjöstad on the south side. At Skanstull lies Hammarbyslussen (Hammarby lock), which lifts you up to Årstaviken and on under Liljeholmsbron into Mälaren. The whole Hammarby fairway, from the mouth of the Danvik canal westwards, has a 7-knot limit, and you may only enter and leave the lock at steerage speed.

The lock is run by Stockholms Hamnar (Ports of Stockholm). In high season, from late April to late September, it locks on demand from 07.00 to 23.30; the rest of the year 07.00–18.00. Check the current dates and times with Stockholms Hamnar. Locking from Saltsjön into Mälaren is free; on the way back you pay a fee at the lock, by card only. Call the lock on VHF channel 12 or 16. Danviksbron and Skansbron have approx. 11.8 m and 11.4 m air clearance and Liljeholmsbron approx. 14.7 m, so most motorboats pass without a bridge opening.

Tip: check the bridge and fairway notices from Sjöfartsverket (the Swedish Maritime Administration), published as Underrättelser för sjöfarande, before you pass Danviksbron, as works can narrow or temporarily close the fairway. What to do once you are on the lake is covered in boating on Lake Mälaren.

Around Lidingö

Approx. 15 nm from Wasahamnen and back, 2–3 hours. Take the Djurgården canal out to Lilla Värtan, head north past Värtahamnen and under the Lidingö bridges to Stora Värtan, round the east side of Lidingö and come back in through Halvkakssundet and past Blockhusudden. Several bays on Lidingö are 5 knots, including Kyrkviken, Islingeviken and Södergarnsviken.

Tip: stop at Fjäderholmarna on the last leg – the island lies almost on the way back from Halvkakssundet.

Route	Distance	Time	Highlight	Suits
Strömmen and Gamla stan	approx. 3–4 nm	approx. 1 h	Royal Palace and Skeppsholmen from the water	First trip, evening trip
Around Djurgården via the canal	approx. 5–6 nm	1–1.5 h	Djurgården canal	Motorboat, relaxed trip
Fjäderholmarna and Nacka strand	approx. 3 nm each way	20–30 min each way	Nearest archipelago island	Lunch and family trip
Hammarby sjö to Mälaren	approx. 5 nm	1–1.5 h	Hammarby lock	Getting onto Lake Mälaren
Around Lidingö	approx. 15 nm	2–3 h	Värtan and Lidingö shores	Half-day trip

Rules and safety in Stockholm

Speed limits in central Stockholm are set by the County Administrative Board in the maritime traffic regulations for Stockholm County. The main ones for an ordinary leisure boat:

12 knots in the Port of Stockholm area and Saltsjön west of Blockhusudden lighthouse (except Lilla Värtan).
5 knots when passing the city's bridges (with a few exceptions, including the fixed span of Lidingöbron and Liljeholmsbron), in the Djurgården canal, in parts of Djurgårdsbrunnsviken and Ladugårdslandsviken, in Beckholmssundet and in Valdemarsviken.
7 knots in Nybroviken, the northern part of Ladugårdslandsviken, Djurgårdsbrunnsviken between Lido and Kruthusplan, and the whole Hammarby fairway. Steerage speed only in and out of Hammarby lock.
5 knots in the sound at Fjäderholmarna and in several bays on Lidingö and in Nacka.
Boats at least 12 m long and 4 m wide are also limited to 10 knots in Saltsjön and Strömmen west of Waldemarsudde.

Traffic is the real challenge. Ferries to Finland and the Baltic states dock at Stadsgården and Värtahamnen, sightseeing and archipelago boats run back and forth, and commuter boats cross Saltsjön. Large ships cannot easily give way and block your view – stay out of their path and keep an eye astern. Go slowly near quays to keep your wash down.

Licence: in Sweden no licence is needed for a leisure boat under 12 m long or under 4 m wide, whatever the engine. A boat that is both at least 12 m long and at least 4 m wide requires a kustskepparintyg (coastal skipper certificate) or higher, and this applies to visitors too. Read more in boat licence in Sweden. The alcohol limit is 0.2 per mille for boats that can do at least 15 knots or are at least 10 m long.

Discharging toilet waste into the water from leisure boats is prohibited, see Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency). Wasahamnen has toilet-tank emptying from April to mid-November.

Where can you moor in the city?

Wasahamnen on Djurgården, near the Vasa Museum: open all year, high season 15 May–15 September. Most guest berths are drop-in; a smaller number can be booked on Dockspot. Boats over 13.5 m are not allowed in the basins.
Djurgårdshamnen (Navis) in Ryssviken next to Waldemarsudde: open from the Saturday before Walpurgis Night (30 April) to the Saturday before All Saints' Day. Guest berths are let via Dockspot and depend on how many members' boats are out.
Fjäderholmarna: guest harbour with fuel station and harbour office.

Best time for a boat trip in Stockholm

High season runs from May to mid-September. Wasahamnen then offers full service and Hammarby lock operates on demand until 23.30. Fjäderholmarna has a summer season that usually runs until mid-September – check the current opening times on the Fjäderholmarna website. Late April and October are quieter on the water, but after high season the lock only runs 07.00–18.00 and late openings must be booked in advance. The Navis guest harbour closes on the Saturday before All Saints' Day.

FAQ

Can you take a boat from Saltsjön to Lake Mälaren through Slussen?

Not at the moment. The lock canal at Slussen is closed during reconstruction, and the new Victoria lock is expected to open to boat traffic in 2027, according to Stockholms stad (the City of Stockholm). Use Hammarby lock instead – it is free going into Mälaren.

Where can I moor a boat in central Stockholm?

Wasahamnen and the Navis harbour on Djurgården are the most central guest harbours, and Fjäderholmarna has a guest harbour a short trip east. Book on Dockspot where possible.

What is the speed limit for boats in Stockholm?

At most 12 knots in Saltsjön west of Blockhusudden, 7 knots in the Hammarby fairway and Nybroviken, and 5 knots under most bridges and in the Djurgården canal. Follow the signs on the shore.